Washington Huskies football: Starting DE Hau’oli Jamora out for season

UW Injury Report

The Washington Huskies continued a promising start to the 2011 season with a victory over California this past weekend but it came at a great cost.

Sophomore defensive end and starter Hau’oli Jamora is out for the season. His knee injury seemed innocent enough at first, as he walked off the field with only a slight limp. But an MRI Monday confirmed the team’s worst fears: torn ACL.

Jamora was establishing himself as a major part of the Husky defense, tallying 15 tackles, three tackles for losses and a sack.

Starting defensive end Hau’oli Jamora out for season

The thought of losing him is scary for a Washington team that already didn’t have a strong pass rush and will have to face quarterbacks like Heisman Trophy frontrunner Andrew Luck later in the season.

All hope is not lost, however. The truth is that UW has pretty decent depth on its defensive line. Redshirt freshman Andrew Hudson may get his shot, as could Josh Shirley. The team is particularly high on Shirley’s talent.

Washington may also deploy a “defensive end by committee,” with Everette Thompson shifting from tackle to end and opening up more playing time for Sione Potoa’e.

Whatever Washington does, the unfortunate truth is that Jamora is probably irreplaceable. Coach Steve Sarkasian and his teammates love him for his endless motor and work ethic. Jamora is also popular for his locker-room presence.

He’s just a well-liked guy.

“He’s a beast,” Thompson said. “He goes. That’s all I can say. Motor man. But off the field, he’s just a goofball.

He’s really just kind of off. He always has a smile and a smirk. He’s really just kind of random, a happy-go-lucky guy with a great sense of humor and a great attitude toward life.”

Argh. Why do bad things happen to good people? We wish you a speedy recovery, Hau’oli.